Jackie Aprile Sr.

Giacomo Michael "Jackie" Aprile Sr. (1955-July 1999) was the boss of the DiMeo crime family from 1995 to 1999, succeeding Ercoli DiMeo and preceding Junior Soprano. Aprile became boss after DiMeo was sentenced to life in prisonn, but his reign was short-lived; he died of stomach cancer in July 1999, leading to a brief power struggle between Junior Soprano and his nephew, Aprile's close friend Tony Soprano.

Biography
Giacomo Michael Aprile Sr. was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1955 to a family of Italian descent, and he was the younger brother of Richie Aprile, the husband of Rosalie Aprile, the uncle of Adriana La Cerva, and the father of Jackie Aprile Jr.. Aprile came up through the ranks of the DiMeo crime family alongside good friend Tony Soprano, and Aprile, Soprano, Silvio Dante, and Ralph Cifaretto formed a crew of their own as youths, robbing Michele La Manna's card game to make themselves known. Aprile did a couple of counts in jail, avoiding long prison sentences, and he became acting capo of the Aprile Crew after his brother Aprile was sent to prison in 1990.

In 1995, Jackie Aprile Sr. became acting boss of the DiMeo family after longtime reputed boss Ercoli DiMeo was sentenced to life in prison, and Aprile was liked and respected by all his peers. Aprile always considered himself "acting boss", even though DiMeo's life sentence made Aprile's title permanent. Junior Soprano, a powerful capo in the family, resented the fact that Aprile was boss, as he remembered the days that Aprile used to fetch him sambucas. Junior fell afoul of Jackie when he hijacked one of his trucks, refusing to acknowledge his position as acting boss. Junior fled to Boca Raton to avoid retaliation, but Salvatore Bonpensiero was able to resolve the dispute.

In 1998, Aprile was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and he was frequently hospitalized. Tony Soprano quickly began to assume many of Aprile's duties as a result, becoming the real leader of the family as Aprile quickly faded away. In July 1999, Aprile died of his cancer, and Junior Soprano became boss after a brief but bloody power struggle with his nephew Tony.